What could the UAE do to rise even faster up the soft power league table? It could design and build the first embassy of the future. The original embassies were not buildings but missions of people, sent out to connect, trade and influence. The embassy of the future will return to this idea, representing the dynamism and brand of a country. It will serve as a hub for dialogue, innovation, and exchange, much like the UAE itself.

The latest email leaks from the Hotmail account of the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, could threaten Emirati diplomacy and strain regional relations, analysts say. Leaked emails point to strong relationship between the UAE and think tanks closely allied to Israel. Also contained in Saturday's leaks were emails detailing communications between the UAE and the US that aimed to prevent a meeting by the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Sports has the power to unite the world like little else or so proves a documentary on the UAE fotoball team. The Emirates Diplomatic Academy, as part of its Culture Week, screened Lights of Rome - a documentary on the incredible journey of the UAE's national football team to 1990 Fifa World Cup Italy. The heroics of the Golden Generation of footballers in 1990 placed the UAE on the world map and also provided a glimpse of the progress the country was set to make in future. More importantly, the world stage provided an opportunity to showcase the Emirati culture and promote the country.

A cultural diplomacy is the need of the hour to correct the West's misconceptions about the Arab world, said panelists at a session on the second day of the Arab #Media Forum in Dubai on Tuesday. During the session titled 'The Arab Image in the West' moderated by Saudi journalist Faisal Abbas, Nathan Tek, US State Department spokesman for the Middle East and the Gulf; Mark Donfried, executive director and founder of the Berlin Institute for Cultural Diplomacy; stressed the need for innovative efforts to change the negative image of the Arab world in western media.

The UAE's Al Ayalla group has held its first performance for the Saharan Bedouin festival, Tan Tan Moussem, taking place from 5th to 10th May in the southern region of Morocco. A 200-strong Emirati delegation, headed by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi, has returned for the fourth year as a special guest at the annual festival celebrating the heritage of Sahrawi tribes.

All the panelists asserted that media should exert efforts to enhance the image of Arabs. Arabs needs to have long-term partnership with the US in various fields. For example, there should be exchange of visits in the field of education. Arab governments should provide scholarships to young Americans to study and know the Arab culture and to have experience of their life, they suggested, noting that many Arab students receive scholarship in the US.

Telling the story and history of Makkah, and the rituals of Hajj, as one of the five fundamental pillars and practices in Islam, the exhibition will bring to life the profound significance of the sacred practices, while also underlining the evident attributes of tolerance, equality and the vast diversity to be found in Islam. The exhibition will be held on the grounds of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the most prominent and leading landmarks of culture and intellectual exchange in the UAE.

The Sharjah International Award for Refugee Advocacy and Support paves the way for a greater investment in supporting refugees in their hour of need and provides hope for a better future. The award, launched in January 2017 [...] aims to recognise and pay tribute to those who have made distinguished humanitarian efforts for refugees and displaced families in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.